Australians call hurricanes willy-willies, we along the Atlantic Coast refer to hurricanes as trouble. Hurricanes that make landfall or brush up to the coast bring strong winds, heavy rains, flooding, possible tornadoes and can cause major wind and water damage to homes and other structures as well as erosion along the coastline. Even if you haven’t lived through a hurricane first hand, we all saw what the destruction Hurricane Katrina caused in New Orleans, so today’s blog will give interesting facts* on hurricanes instead of the destruction they cause.
So, did you know…
- The word hurricane comes from the Taino Native American word, hurucane, meaning evil spirit of the wind
- Hurricanes in the Pacific Ocean are generally called typhoons and are called tropical cyclones in the Indian Ocean
- Hurricanes are the only natural disasters to have names
- Hurricanes didn’t start having boys’ names until 1979
- Hurricane Bob was the first hurricane with a male name
- Hurricane Ginger lasted over 3 weeks in 1971
- The first hurricane to hit the American Colonies happened on August 25, 1635
- In 1893, a hurricane made a direct hit on New York City. Hog Island which was located off the Southern Coast of the Rockaways was wiped out. It is believed to be the only reported incident in history where a hurricane removed an entire island.
- Hurricane Camille had estimated sustained winds of 190mph during landfall
- Every second, a large hurricane releases the energy of 10 atomic bombs
- Slow moving hurricanes produce more rain and can cause more damage from flooding than faster moving, more powerful hurricanes
Remember, Hurricane season in the Atlantic runs from June 1 to November 30.
*www.hurricane-facts.com
